Why the show never worked...

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by BestTVever

Why would you think Ritter would not want the Ropers back? The surviving cast who worked with both landlords are often asked....who was better? They can never decide because they were so fond of both. I read that Ritter was really fond of Fell.

Fell changed Stanely from what was in mind of the creators. Stanley was originally just a clumsy, dumb and introverted guy. Fell took the character way out of what was originally intended and it worked brilliantly.

I agree with you 100%, Fell and Lindley were both brilliant in their roles, that was the problem. Ritter saw Three's Company as his starring vehicle the other cast members were there to service his character. The Ropers series was just not ready, it was rushed out the door, placed in a ridiculous time slot and then shifted to a day and time where the chances for success were almost zero.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by BestTVever

Why would you think Ritter would not want the Ropers back? The surviving cast who worked with both landlords are often asked....who was better? They can never decide because they were so fond of both. I read that Ritter was really fond of Fell.

Fell changed Stanely from what was in mind of the creators. Stanley was originally just a clumsy, dumb and introverted guy. Fell took the character way out of what was originally intended and it worked brilliantly.

They should have been smart enough to see the big picture, that they was being phased out. That's like me or you being told that we are being transferred to another dept while they give someone else our desk inside the office. That would make it clear that it is no coming back lol


Also how was they going to comeback if someone was already living in their old apt? So they should have known that they wasnt coming back

[Babalu]

Very simply, the Ropers were funny one joke characters for 5 minutes a week but weren't interesting or funny enough to build a show around.

[BestTVever]

Originally Posted by Babalu

Very simply, the Ropers were funny one joke characters for 5 minutes a week but weren't interesting or funny enough to build a show around.

Exactly. They were hysterical for their banter. But just like a great piece of cake for dessert, you cant build a full meal just on the dessert.

Paul Lynde is another spice character. People loved his jokes on Squares and he was funny on Bewitched as a character. When they tried to build a full show around such a character it failed.

Nothing against them personally. A great spice makes a great meal. But you simply cant eat the spice and expect it to be as good as the full meal.

[Fallon97]

Originally Posted by TVLegend

Welcome. I actually liked The Ropers and I think the reason it didn’t work was because of Ann’s husband’s persona and the useless addition of Jenny. I’ll take it any day over Three’s A Crowd though.

I like The Ropers, but I like Three's A Crowd better.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Fallon97

I like The Ropers, but I like Three's A Crowd better.

you like everything

[TVLegend]

I think The Ropers would have had at least 4 seasons if

The show aired right after Three’s Company
Stanley had a job
There were more jokes about Mrs. Roper’s sexual frustration
Mr. and Mrs. Roper adopted an unruly teenager
The writers made Stanley and Jeffrey friends

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by TVLegend

I think The Ropers would have had at least 4 seasons if

The show aired right after Three’s Company
Stanley had a job
There were more jokes about Mrs. Roper’s sexual frustration
Mr. and Mrs. Roper adopted an unruly teenager
The writers made Stanley and Jeffrey friends

The key was following Gary marshall plan and having his shows back to back. That didnt happened with Flo, Ropers, or Fish.

[Dude111]

Originally Posted by TVLegend

Welcome. I actually liked The Ropers and I think the reason it didn’t work was because of Ann’s husband’s persona and the useless addition of Jenny. I’ll take it any day over Three’s A Crowd though.

Nothing is better than 3rees company though!!

[dee2364]

The show did work. It was too ahead of its time, IMO. It was making fun of Yuppies before they became a thing, and it had a lot of underdog/class humor at a time when lead characters were supposed to be winners. It was basically Married with Children, except MWC succeeded because by the time it aired, everyone hated Yuppies and were comfortable with having a lovable loser to root for.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by dee2364

The show did work. It was too ahead of its time. It was making fun of Yuppies before anyone knew what they were, and a lot of underdog/class humor at a time when lead characters were supposed to be winners. It was basically Married with Children, except MWC succeeded because by then, everyone hated Yuppies and were comfortable with having a lovable loser to root for.

How did it work? it couldnt grab an audience

[rusty spike]

Not my ideas, but I think the producers are to blame.

1- Cheap and limited sets. Like TC, the producers quickly realized that a good show didn't require a variety of sets/locations. I think this made the show very boring. Let's see the Ropers and neighbor's apartment and a hot tub/jacuzzi.

2- Like TC, they had limited visitors and almost zero guest stars.

As others have stated, the Ropers worked best when interacting with younger people.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by rusty spike

Not my ideas, but I think the producers are to blame.

1- Cheap and limited sets. Like TC, the producers quickly realized that a good show didn't require a variety of sets/locations. I think this made the show very boring. Let's see the Ropers and neighbor's apartment and a hot tub/jacuzzi.

2- Like TC, they had limited visitors and almost zero guest stars.

As others have stated, the Ropers worked best when interacting with younger people.

That I agree with, I had no interest in seeing Mrs Roper mother

[TVLegend]

Originally Posted by TVLegend

I think The Ropers would have had at least 4 seasons if

The show aired right after Three’s Company
Stanley had a job
There were more jokes about Mrs. Roper’s sexual frustration
Mr. and Mrs. Roper adopted an unruly teenager
The writers made Stanley and Jeffrey friends

Adding on to my post above, I think the fact that The Ropers did not air after Three’s Company was the main reason the show did not last long. People back then were not going to choose watching Stanley and Helen sit around their house all day over CHiPs. Which brings me to my next point…

Like BestTVever said in this thread and other threads, Stanley and Helen sitting around the house all day was not interesting to watch. Who wants to see two 55 year olds do absolutely nothing for half an hour? If Mr. Roper had a job, then it would have given the writers the opportunity to start off most of the episodes with him coming home from work and going back and forth with Mrs. Roper.

I also agree with BestTVever that the writers should have written more jokes about Mrs. Roper’s sexual frustration. The sexual frustration stuff was funny to watch on Three’s Company, I’m not sure why they didn’t include it in the scripts as much on The Ropers.

Instead of the episode “Baby Talk” being about Mr. Roper giving his wife a puppy, I think it should have been about The Ropers adopting an unruly teenage girl. Could you imagine all the storylines they could have done about the girl misbehaving and stressing The Ropers out? I would have gladly taken that over what we got.

After Season 1, Mr. Roper and Jeffrey feuding got old and Jeffrey became increasingly annoying. The second or third episode of Season 2 should have been about the two calling a truce and from that episode on, we would see them gradually become friends like George Jefferson and Tom Willis on The Jeffersons did. I understand that Mr. Roper feuded with the neighbor in the original British series, but the writers should have taken into consideration that British audiences are not the same as American audiences and that they were going to have to change some things up for the US version.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by TVLegend

Adding on to my post above, I think the fact that The Ropers did not air after Three’s Company was the main reason the show did not last long. People back then were not going to choose watching Stanley and Helen sit around their house all day over CHiPs. Which brings me to my next point…

Like BestTVever said in this thread and other threads, Stanley and Helen sitting around the house all day was not interesting to watch. Who wants to see two 55 year olds do absolutely nothing for half an hour? If Mr. Roper had a job, then it would have given the writers the opportunity to start off most of the episodes with him coming home from work and going back and forth with Mrs. Roper.

I also agree with BestTVever that the writers should have written more jokes about Mrs. Roper’s sexual frustration. The sexual frustration stuff was funny to watch on Three’s Company, I’m not sure why they didn’t include it in the scripts as much on The Ropers.

Instead of the episode “Baby Talk” being about Mr. Roper giving his wife a puppy, I think it should have been about The Ropers adopting an unruly teenage girl. Could you imagine all the storylines they could have done about the girl misbehaving and stressing The Ropers out? I would have gladly taken that over what we got.

After Season 1, Mr. Roper and Jeffrey feuding got old and Jeffrey became increasingly annoying. The second or third episode of Season 2 should have been about the two calling a truce and from that episode on, we would see them gradually become friends like George Jefferson and Tom Willis on The Jeffersons did. I understand that Mr. Roper feuded with the neighbor in the original British series, but the writers should have taken into consideration that British audiences are not the same as American audiences and that they were going to have to change some things up for the US version.

I dont think airing after TC would have helped much because the TRIO appeared on the show as guests and the show still finished #37 for the week. And thats with Jack and the girls lol